Hossein al Qazwini: A danger for the Shia Youth

In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful,

From al-Barqi, from Imam Ali (as), who said: "Two people of this world break my back: an immoral person with an intelligent tongue and an ignorant one who worships a lot, one hides his immorality through his tongue and the other hides his ignorance through his worship, so watch out for immoral scholars and the ignorant worshipers, for they are a fitna for all who are seduced, I have heard the Prophet (s) say: "The destruction of my Ummah will be on the hands of every hypocrite with an intelligent tongue. "

Hossein al Qazweni

Hossein al Qazweni is a well-known preacher among the youth in Europe, he is engaged in giving lectures in English. A number of his lectures are based on lies and errors, which poses a danger for the doctrine of the youth. We have tried several times to contact Hossein al Qazwini, but he ignores our questions as we will demonstrate in this article. This article will be about the lecture 'The Saved Sect in Islam: Myth or Reality?' , this lecture can be found via the following link:

In this lecture he talks about the narration of the 73 sects within the Ummah. First we will demonstrate the tradition from both the Shia and the Sunni books, and then we will refute the arguments of Hossein al Qazweni. This article consists of the following chapters:

1. The Shia books
2. The Sunni books
3. Hossein al Qazweni & al Azhar
4. The knowledge of Hossein al Qazweni
5. The reliability of Hossein al Qazweni

1. The Shia books

Within the Shia books, the narration of the 73 sects has been narrated in different ways and the narration has reached the status of 'reliable'. Both the Shia scholars of the past and now have mentioned this narration:



Shaykh al-Tusi, Kitab al Amali, p.771-772


Imam Ali (a) asked the leader of the Jews how many groups they were divided into. The Jew said: so many and so many groups. Imam Ali (a) said that it is a lie and went to the people and said the following: '' O people the Jews are divided into 71 groups of which 70 groups will be in hellfire and one group will be in heaven, those are the followers of Yos'ua ibn Noen, the successor of Moessa. The Christians are divided into 72 groups, of which 71 groups will be in hellfire and one group will be in heaven, those are the followers of Shum'an the successor of Isa (as) and this Ummah will be divided into 73 groups, of which 72 groups will be in hellfire and one group will be in heaven, those are the ones who have followed the successor of Mohammad (s).''

Then Imam Ali (a) hitted on his chest and said:''Thirteen groups of the 73 groups have love for me, one of them will be in heaven and the remaining twelve will be in hellfire.''

• Sayed Hasjim al Bahrani,Ghayat al Maram, v.6, p.45

Imam Ali (a) asked the leader of the Jews how many groups they were divided into. The Jew said: so many and so many groups. Imam Ali (a) said that it is a lie and went to the people and said the following: '' O people the Jews are divided into 71 groups of which 70 groups will be in hellfire and one group will be in heaven, those are the followers of Yos'ua ibn Noen, the successor of Moessa. The Christians are divided into 72 groups, of which 71 groups will be in hellfire and one group will be in heaven, those are the followers of Shum'an the successor of Isa (as) and this Ummah will be divided into 73 groups, of which 72 groups will be in hellfire and one group will be in heaven, those are the ones who have followed the successor of Mohammad (s).''

Then Imam Ali (a) hitted on his chest and said:''Thirteen groups of the 73 groups have love for me, one of them will be in heaven and the remaining twelve will be in hellfire.''

• Alaamah Tabrasi, al Ihtijaaj, v.1, p.346

Imam Ali (a) asked the leader of the Jews how many groups they were divided into. The Jew said: so many and so many groups. Imam Ali (a) said that it is a lie and went to the people and said the following: '' O people the Jews are divided into 71 groups of which 70 groups will be in hellfire and one group will be in heaven, those are the followers of Yos'ua ibn Noen, the successor of Moessa. The Christians are divided into 72 groups, of which 71 groups will be in hellfire and one group will be in heaven, those are the followers of Shum'an the successor of Isa (as) and this Ummah will be divided into 73 groups, of which 72 groups will be in hellfire and one group will be in heaven, those are the ones who have followed the successor of Mohammad (s).''

Then Imam Ali (a) hitted on his chest and said:''Thirteen groups of the 73 groups have love for me, one of them will be in heaven and the remaining twelve will be in hellfire.''

• Sheikh al Qummi, Safeenat al Bihar, v.3, p.896

Imam Ali (a) asked the leader of the Jews how many groups they were divided into. The Jew said: so many and so many groups. Imam Ali (a) said that it is a lie and went to the people and said the following: '' O people the Jews are divided into 71 groups of which 70 groups will be in hellfire and one group will be in heaven, those are the followers of Yos'ua ibn Noen, the successor of Moessa. The Christians are divided into 72 groups, of which 71 groups will be in hellfire and one group will be in heaven, those are the followers of Shum'an the successor of Isa (as) and this Ummah will be divided into 73 groups, of which 72 groups will be in hellfire and one group will be in heaven, those are the ones who have followed the successor of Mohammad (s).''

Then Imam Ali (a) hitted on his chest and said:''Thirteen groups of the 73 groups have love for me, one of them will be in heaven and the remaining twelve will be in hellfire.''

• Alaamah Abee Qasim al Tabari, Bisharat al Mostafa, p.334

Imam Ali (a) asked the leader of the Jews how many groups they were divided into. The Jew said: so many and so many groups. Imam Ali (a) said that it is a lie and went to the people and said the following: '' O people the Jews are divided into 71 groups of which 70 groups will be in hellfire and one group will be in heaven, those are the followers of Yos'ua ibn Noen, the successor of Moessa. The Christians are divided into 72 groups, of which 71 groups will be in hellfire and one group will be in heaven, those are the followers of Shum'an the successor of Isa (as) and this Ummah will be divided into 73 groups, of which 72 groups will be in hellfire and one group will be in heaven, those are the ones who have followed the successor of Mohammad (s).''

Then Imam Ali (a) hitted on his chest and said:''Thirteen groups of the 73 groups have love for me, one of them will be in heaven and the remaining twelve will be in hellfire.''

• Sjadhaan ibn Jibra'il al Qumi, al Rawd'ah, p.137-138

Imam Ali (a) asked the leader of the Jews how many groups they were divided into. The Jew said: so many and so many groups. Imam Ali (a) said that it is a lie and went to the people and said the following: '' O people the Jews are divided into 71 groups of which 70 groups will be in hellfire and one group will be in heaven, those are the followers of Yos'ua ibn Noen, the successor of Moessa. The Christians are divided into 72 groups, of which 71 groups will be in hellfire and one group will be in heaven, those are the followers of Shum'an the successor of Isa (as) and this Ummah will be divided into 73 groups, of which 72 groups will be in hellfire and one group will be in heaven, those are the ones who have followed the successor of Mohammad (s).''

Then Imam Ali (a) hitted on his chest and said:''Thirteen groups of the 73 groups have love for me, one of them will be in heaven and the remaining twelve will be in hellfire.''

• Sheikh Ali al Sjahroedi, Mustadrak Safienat al Bihar, p.189-191

Imam Ali (a) asked the leader of the Jews how many groups they were divided into. The Jew said: so many and so many groups. Imam Ali (a) said that it is a lie and went to the people and said the following: '' O people the Jews are divided into 71 groups of which 70 groups will be in hellfire and one group will be in heaven, those are the followers of Yos'ua ibn Noen, the successor of Moessa. The Christians are divided into 72 groups, of which 71 groups will be in hellfire and one group will be in heaven, those are the followers of Shum'an the successor of Isa (as) and this Ummah will be divided into 73 groups, of which 72 groups will be in hellfire and one group will be in heaven, those are the ones who have followed the successor of Mohammad (s).''

Then Imam Ali (a) hitted on his chest and said:''Thirteen groups of the 73 groups have love for me, one of them will be in heaven and the remaining twelve will be in hellfire.''

Sheikh Ali al Shahroedi: ''The mutawatir traditions of both us (Shia) and them (Sunnis) confirm that the community will divide into 73 groups, one of them will be the saved sect, those are specifically the ones who follow Ali and who have not abandoned him. Then you are on the truth, because the truth is with Ali and Ali is with the truth, because the truth remains with Ali until the day of judgment, those are the Shia, those who hold on to the Quran and his infallible progeny. ''

• Sheikh al Majlisi, Bihar al Anwar, v.36,p.336

The Prophet (s) said: '' My Ummah will divide into 73 groups, of which one group will be the saved sect and the rest will perish, those who are saved are those who hold on to your (Ahlalbait) leadership and take the knowledge from you. ''

• Al Kulayni, al Kafi, narration 283

Imam al Baqir (a) said: ''The Jews divided after Moessa (a) divided into 71 groups of which one will be in heaven and seventy will be in hellfire, the Christians after Jesus (a) have divided themselves into 72 groups of which one will be in heaven and 71 will be in hellfire. This Ummah after the death of the Prophet has divided himself into 73 groups, of which 72 will be in hellfire and one group will be in heaven.''

• Sheikh Aboe al Qasim al Qumi al Razi, Kifayat al Athar, p.248

The Prophet (s) said: ''My Ummah will divide into 73 groups, of which one group will be the saved sect and the rest will perish, those who are the saved are those who hold on to your (Ahlalbait) leadership and take the knowledge from you.''

It is quite clear that the great Shia scholars have mentioned this narration in their books. This confirms the reliability of the narration, as several great Shia scholars have mentioned this narration in their works.

2. The Sunni books

Within the Sunni books, the tradition is also mentioned and hijacked. We will only mention the narrations that corresponds to the Shia traditions.

• Al Tabari, Tafseer al Tabari, v.6,p.73

The Prophet (s) said: '' Banee Israil has split into 71 groups and my Ummah will divide into 72 groups, all will be in hell fire except one, that is the group; Hold on to the rope of Allah and do not be divided. ''

More Sunni narrations can be found on this website:

http://kingoflinks.net/Bhooth/5Klbani/23.htm

3. Hossein al Qazweni & al Azhar

Despite the many narrations in the Shia books, still Hossein al Qazwini tried to weaken the tradition in an amateurish manner. The arguments of Hossein al Qazweni will be refuted one by one.

At minute 33.36 Hossein al Qazweni brings the tradition from Al Kafi and claims that this narration has caused bloodshed.

Since when did the Shia narrations cause bloodshed? The cause of bloodshed are the Sunni murder fatwas:

Imam Mohammad bin Ali bin Sahl said: I heard Ibn Jarir (Al-Tabari) say: "Whoever says that Abu Bakr and Omar are not leaders of leadership, must be murdered."

Bron: Tadhkirat ul-Huffadh Vol. 2, p. 712

Ibn Kathir: '' And anyone who thinks this about the companions has accused them all of immorality, conspiracy to oppose the Prophet (s) and to oppose his judgment and testament. Who of the people comes to this conclusion, has loosened the loop of Islam from himself, and has become disbeliever according to the majority of the known Imams, and the shedding of his blood is more permissible than the emptying of alcohol"


Bron: Al-Bidaya wa al-Nihaya, Vol. 8, Blz. 98 - 99

It is clear that the Sunnis are calling for the death of Shia. We ask Hossein al-Qazwini for clear evidence where Shia scholars have called for the death of Sunnis.


At minute 34.38 Hossein al Qazweni weakened the tradition based on the statements of a teacher on the Sunni university al Azhar, called 'Mohamed Abdoe'.

Since when, according to Shia Islam, is it permissible to weaken a narration from a Shia book on the basis of a Sunni scholar's statement? The narrations of our holy Imams (as) forbid it to base our faith on Sunni sects, as in the following narration:

• Tahdeeb al Ahkam, al Tusi, v.6,hoofdstuk 8

From Yunus bin Dhibyan, from Imam al-Sadiq (as), who said: When you want to visit the tomb of Imam Ali (as), perform the wudu, wash yourself and then walk at ease, and say: "O Allah , curse the Jibt's and the Taghout's and the Pharaohs and Laat and Uzza, and the Jibt and the Taghout and every idol that is worshiped beside Allah and every liar, O Allah, curse them and their adherents, and followers, and lovers, and friends and helpers with many curses. "

Imam Ja'far as Sadiq (as) cursed the Sunni sects, while Hossein al Qazweni based his statements on a Sunni scholar, what a contradiction!

4. The knowledge of Hossein al Qazweni

The Ahlalbait (as) have forbidden speaking without knowledge:

• From Abi Basir: Imam al-Baqir (as) said: "Whoever makes a mistake in his judgment about two dirham, has committed disbelief." (Wasael al Shia)

• From Zurara, who said: I asked Imam al-Baqir (as): "What is the right of Allah on the servants?" He (as) said: "That they say what they know and keep silent about what they do not know." (Al-Tawhid, Al-Sadouq)

Hossein al Qazweni does not care about these narrations and talks without any knowledge about these subjects.

At minute 37.10 Hossein al Qazwini claims that the chain of narrators has a weakness. He weakens the narrator Abu Khalid, without any proof. There are great Shia scholars like Sheikh al Majlisi who have labeled Abu Khalid as reliable.

• Sheikh al Majlisi, Mir'aat ul Uqool, v.26,p.27

Sheikh al Majlisi: '' Abu Khalid, his nickname is Wardaan and his title Kankaar and he is praised and belongs to the members of Imam Ali ibn al-Husain (as). ''

Our holy Imams (as) have given Abu Khaled the title 'the reliable one', how dare Hossein  al Qazweni  rejects the words of our Imams (as)!

• al Kulayni, al Kafi, v.1,p.300

Imam as Sadiq (a) said: '' Sa'id ibn al Musaib and Qasim ibn Mohamed ibn Abu Bakr and Abou Khaled were among the trustful of Ali ibn al-Husain (a). ''

In minute 42 Hossen al-Qazwini claims that the narration is 'Ahad', what would mean that the narration has been narrated through one chain, but this is another lie of Hossein al-Qazwni. The great Shia scholars have said that this narration is 'Mutawatir', which means that the narration has been narrated through several ways.

• Al Ameli, al Fasool al Muhimah, v.1,p.448

Al Hurr Ameli: '' The narrations on this have been narrated in abundance (Mutawatir). ''

• Hadi al Najafi, Mawsu'at al Hadith, v.12,p.399

Sheikh Hadi al Najafi: '' The chain of narrators is reliable. ''

5.The reliability of Hossein al Qazweni

Hossein al Qazwini has a bad habit of lying about the Shia Scholars. In the past we have learned that Hossein al Qazwini lied about the Shia Scholar Ayatollah Sayed Mahdi Bahr al Uloom. Hossein al Qazwini claimed that Sayed Mahdi Bahr al Uloom has praised an enemy of Islam, namely Aisha bint Abu Bakr. Hossein al Qazweni even claimed that Sayed Mahdi Bahr al Uloom would have written a poem about Aisha, however this is a lie. Ayatollah Sayed Mahdi Bahr al Uloom has done the opposite, he has written a poem in which he calls Abu Bakr and Omar 'impure people'. The words of Hossein al Qazweni can be found via this link:

During the lecture of Hossein al Qazwini 'The Saved Sect in Islam: Myth or Reality?' at minute 48.55 he says that many contemporary scholars have weaken the narration of the 73 sects.

We wonder which Shia scholars Hossein al Qazwini is referring to? Can he give the names of the contemporary Shia scholars who have weakened this narration?

One of the great contemporary Shia scholars is Ayatollah Sheikh Mohamed Jamiel Hamud al Ameli. He has accepted this narration in his fatwa below: